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Color of Letter Paper—Monograms and Embossing—About Your Handwriting—Asking Favors of Strangers—The Form of Letters—The Signature—Eccentric Ways of Writing—Position of the Stamp.

Everyone has occasion to write letters and notes of business, friendship and courtesy, and should be supplied with proper materials. Paper, ink and pens of the best quality are not expensive, and it is in bad form to use anything else. Postal cards are correct for impersonal messages and business notes; linen writing pads, with envelopes to fit the folded sheets, are convenient for generous family letters, but ruled lines are barred for any purpose. For social correspondence note paper, of which there are three sizes, in cream-laid or white linen bond paper, is first choice. If you wish to have something individual that friends will always recognize as yours, it is in good taste to use the thin foreign paper, or to select a French grey or delicate robins’ egg blue. And you may have your address engraved for the top of the sheet, or your initials or monogram stamped in the upper left-hand corner from a carefully-made die. Black lettering is always in good taste, but dark blue looks better on light blue, moss green or silver on French grey and gold on cream. Or the letter may simply be embossed—raised—on a heavy quality of paper and left uncolored. You should tell the stationer if you want the address or monogram on the first page or the fourth. For notes of one page or a slight turn over, a touch of elegance seems to be given by beginning on the last page.

A business or other formal letter should be typewritten, if possible. But social letters and notes must be written by hand. While handwriting should have character and style, and not appear like a copybook, it should not be freaky. Few people are fond of making out Chinese puzzles. Especially should names and addresses be plainly written. Some people apparently cultivate signatures that might be "Nebuchadnezzar" or just "John Smith." The date and the writer's full address should 450